One August evening in 1914, a bushwhacker ended a pleasant outing by blowing a hole in Bill McBride, kidnapping and ravaging Billas fiancA(c)e, and wounding Alafair Tuckeras daughter Mary. All Mary knows is that the crime had something to do with the Fourth of July. Or is there more? The answer seems to be working its way through the fog of Maryas shock and grief and floating to the surface of her consciousness. Several malicious acts suggest that Billas killer is still around and attempting to cover his tracks. Can Mary remember the crime before the murderer manages to eliminate everyone who could identify him?